CLASS Act: Abandoned yet defended

The Obama administration has abandoned health reform’s long-term care insurance program, saying it can’t figure out how to make the program solvent and isn’t going to try.

And yet, it says it’s not interested in repealing the program for good. So when the House votes on Wednesday to wipe the CLASS Act off the books, the White House — and most Democrats — will be against it.

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So why wouldn’t the Obama administration want to just get rid of it?

It’s not as though the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Actis generating good press for President Barack Obama’s health care law. In fact, Republicans are sure they can make it a symbol of the out-of-control spending they think the rest of the law would cause.

When a program is loathed this much by congressional Republicans and doesn’t even generate much enthusiasm among Democrats, why fight repeal? Because the effort to repeal CLASS really doesn’t get the Republicans anywhere, according to Democratic strategists — so there’s no reason for Democrats to accept repeal or give the effort any attention.

No one knows what CLASS is, in the view of these strategists. The individual mandate is the only health reform issue anyone cares about. And every day spent repealing an abandoned program is another day of Congress doing nothing — Obama’s favorite theme.

“Looking at persuadable voters and independent voters — the people who are ultimately going to decide the election — this issue is not going to resonate,” said Michael Feldman, a managing director of the Glover Park Group. “Republicans could say they repealed a certain part of the health care act and can beat their chests about it — maybe that appeals to a narrow sliver of the electorate. But it doesn’t win elections.”

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said what most people want on health reform is to build on what works, fix what doesn’t and move forward.

“Republicans want to do away with the whole thing and start all over again, but that’s not what the public wants,” said Lake. “CLASS is a winner. It gives a clear contrast from those who want to go back again, want to do away with Medicare, do away with CLASS and leave seniors without insurance.”